Amusement device with separable oval



Oct. 24, 1961 A. GlULlANO AMUSEMENT DEVICE WITH SEPARABLE OVAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 26, 1960 WSFJ m mw m EH INVENTOR. ANGELO GIULIANO HIS H TTDRNEX Oct. 24, 1961 A. GlULlANO 3,005,284

AMUSEMENT DEVICE WITH SEPARABLE OVAL Filed Oct. 26, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 80 g is i j s5- Z ,72 z 0* 'n- I 47 22- i 5 W I i I ve l '76 INVENTOR: ANGELO eluuAuo,

United States Pate F i 3,005,284 AMUSEMENT DEVICE WITH SEPARABLE OVAL Angelo Giuliano, 754 Mace Ave., Bronx 67, N.Y.

Filed Oct. 26, 1960, Ser. No. 65,161 14 Claims. (Cl. 46175) The present invention relates to a mechanical toy and more particularly to a mechanical toy adapted to be synchronized with music.

Humpty Dumpty is one of the most popular Mother Goose characters and the rhyme which tells his story is known to and recited by all children. His egg-like appearance has been employed for generations in stuffed toys, wall plaques, puzzles, and games. Reference is had to my co-pending application Ser. No. 856,820 filed December 2, 1959. i

It is among the principal objects of the present invention to provide a toy Humpty Dumpty which will not only in. its eggform resemble the well-known Mother Goose character, but will act out the falling and breaking-open action described in the rhyme. Further, the descent and cracking will, be synchronized with the play ing of the Humpty Dumpty song, so that the egg will fall down and break apart when the words of the song reach the appropriate point. 3

It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy Humpty Dumpty which, after falling apart, may be reassembled automatically in preparation for a repeat performance.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be best understood from the following description of exemplifications thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of one embodiment of the device of the present invention, showing the removable casing only in phantom outline;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device of FIG. 1, without casing;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the Humpty Dumpty figure when closed;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the Humpty Dumpty figure open;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view, similar to FIG. 1, but embodying a modification of the device of the present invention, the casing having been removed for better illustration; and t FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the modified device of FIG. 5.

Referring now to the drawings, a Humpty Dumpty oval structure, indicated generally at 10, is composed of several, for instance three, sections. Two top sections 12 and 14- meet a base section 16 along a generally horizontal, circumferential .line 18. The top sections are approximately the same size and shape and meet each other along a generally vertical and central line 20. The meeting lines 18 and 20 are zig-zag cut in a jagged manner to simulate the edges'of a broken egg shell. The topsections 12 and :14, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, are movably mounted along a portion of their lower edges to the base section 16 by hinges 22 and 23, respectively. The three sections 12, 14 and 16 fittogether perfectly, sothat in closed position they have an oval configuration.

, Located in the base section .16 is a vertical channel or guide 24, in which an elongated follower pin 26 is arranged for reciprocal movement. One end of each of a pair of arms 28 is mounted for rotation on the pin 26. The other end of the arms 28 is secured in any suitable manner, as by rivets 30, to each of the top sections '12 and 1-4. When the egg is closed, the pin 26 is positioned at the bottom of the channel 24. If the pin 26 is raised 3,005,284 Patented Oct. 24, 1961 to the top of the channel 2 4, the arms will urge apart the top sections 12 and 14 to imitate the appearance of an egg brokenlinto three pieces. Of course, since the sections are hinged together, it is merely necessary to lower the pin 26 to reassemble the egg.

In one embodiment of the invention, which is illusice trated in FIGS. 11 and 2, the Humpty Dumpty oval structure '10 above described is mounted on a carrying member 32. The carrying member 32 is bored to permit sliding along an upright or post 34 which is secured to I a platform 36 that supports a removable casing 37.

When the carrying member 32, with its attached oval structure 10, is permitted to fall to the bottom of the upright 34, a stationary vertical pin 38 is positioned to enter an aperture 40 in thecarrying member32 and push up against the pin 26, thereby to break open;the egg. Conversely, when the carrying member 32 is raised to the upper portion of the upright 34, the pin 26 will strike against an abutment member 42 and be pushed down to the bottom of the channel 24, whereupon the egg will once again be whole. In a modified version, the upper abutment member may be a vertical pin, as shown at 42a in FIG. 5, for abutment with the pin 26 to close the oval structure 10.

In order to synchronize the falling and breaking action with the Humpty Dumpty song, a drive gear 44 operates a driven bevel gear 46, as well as a belt 45 to drive a music source 47 of suitable well-known design, for instance a commercially available music box. The drive gear 44 may be turned by a crank 48 or by the release of ,a wound spring. The gear 46 carries a trip pin 50 which is timedto strike a plate 52 of a lever arm 54 at the word fall in the musical sequence when the Humpty Dumpty song is played or at any other predetermined instant.

The lever arm 54 is tiltable about a pivot point 56 and is capable of supporting at one end the carrying member 32 on the post 34. Thus, when contact with the plate 52 causes rotation of the lever arm 54, support is withdrawn from the carrying member 32 and it is permitted to fall freely to the bottom of the post 34. A spring 58 returns the lever arm 54- to its original position.

As was previously described, the egg 10 will break apart each time it falls down and may be reassembled by returning the carrying member 32, to which the egg 10 is attached,- to the top of the upright 34.

In a second embodiment of the invention, shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, there is provided an automatic pick-up, as well as the automatic release of the Humpty Dumpty oval. As in the previous embodiment shown, there is provided the oval structure 10 which is supported on a carrying member '62. The vertical pin 38 which actuates theopening action of the egg and the vertical pin 42a which actuates the closing action:of the egg, act as previously described.

FIGS. 5 and 6, which illustrate the second embodimentfshow a drive gear 68 which may drive the music device 47., The drive gear 68 'is driven by a crank 49 that is mounted on a shaft 51 that carries the gear 68 and operates the belt gear '70 which, in turn, causes the revolution of a belt 72. An idler wheel 74 is positioned to frame 53; The belt 72 carries a pick-up pin or book 76 which will raise the carrying member 62 when it reaches the same at the bottom of the upright. The pickup pin '76 is flexible so it will move aside when the impact at 77 and push asidea cam-shaped hold lever 78. The hold lever 78 will be returned to its original position by a spring 80, and the carrying member 62 will be supported in the upper position by the said hold lever. The belt 72 also carries a pin 82 which is positioned to trip the hold lever 78 at the word fall, at which time the Humpty Dumpty will drop to the bottom. The proper positioning of the pins 76 and '82 for synchronization with the music may easily be determined. The construction of this embodiment of the invention permits continuous automatic pick-up and release of the Humpty Dumpty as the crank 49 is turned and the song repeated.

It has therefore been shown that the present invention provides a mechanical toy which dramatizes the action described in the Humpty Dumpty story and which does so in synchronization with the Humpty Dumpty song. The toy is arranged for immediate and continuous re-use.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise Without departing from such principles.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. An amusement device having a plurality of sections forming when closed an oval structure, and hinge means connected to all of said sections and being operable to pivot said sections together movably, whereby said sections may be moved to an open position on said hinge means imitating the appearance of a broken egg.

2. An amusement device having a plurality of sections form-ing when closed an oval structure, hinge means permanently pivoting said sections together movably, and means operable to move apart said sections, whereby said sections will be tilted to an open position about said hinge means imitating the appearance of a broken egg.

3. An amusement device comprising an oval structure having three sections including a base section and two top sections meeting said base section along a generally horizontal line, said top sections meeting along a generally vertical and central line, hinge means permanently pivoting said sections together movably, and means operable to move apart said sections, whereby said sections will betilted to an open position on said hinge means imitating the appearance of a broken egg.

4. An amusement device comprising a normally eggshaped structure having a base section and two top sections meeting along a generally vertical and central line, each of said sections being hingeably mounted along a portion of its lower edge, and separating means operable to move apart said sections comprising a channel defined in a section, a pin arranged for reciprocal movement within said channel, a pair of arms each having one end mounted on said pin and the other end secured to each of said top sections whereby said top sections will be moved to closed relation when said pin is positioned near the bottom of said channel and will be moved apart by said arms when the pin is raised to the top of said channel.

5. An amusement device comprising an upright, an oval structure mounted for ascent and descent on said upright, said oval structure having a plurality of sections, and means effectively operable to urge apart said sections when the oval structure descends along said upright to give the appearance of a broken egg.

6. An amusement device comprising an upright, a normally egg-shaped structure mounted for ascent and descent on said upright, said egg-shaped structure having a plurality of sections, hinge means operable to secure said sections together movably, and means effectively acting to urge apart said sections when the egg-shaped structure descends to a point near the bottom of said upright, whereby said sections will bemoved to an open position 4 on said hinge means to give the appearance of a broken egg.

7. An amusement device, as claimed in claim 6, and means connected to said upright and operable to actuate said separating means to close said sections when the egg structure ascends along the upright.

8. An amusement device, as claimed in claim 7, in which said egg-shaped structure has three sections including a base section and two top sections meeting said base section along a generally horizontal line, said top sections meeting along a generally vertical and central line, and in which said separating means comprises a generally vertical channel, a pair of arms each having one end mounted on said pin and the other end secured to each of said top sections whereby said sections will be moved to closed relation when said pin is positioned at the bottom of said channel and will be moved apart by said arms when the pin is raised to the top of said channel.

9. An amusement device comprising an upright, a normally egg-shaped structure mounted for vertical movement on said upright and having a plurality of sections, hinge means operable to secure said sections together movably, means actuatable to hold releasably the eggshaped structure near the upper portion of said upright, means operable for releasing said holding means, and separating means operable to urge apart said sections when the egg-shaped structure is released and descends along said upright, whereby said sections pivot to an open position on said hinge means to give the appearance of a broken egg.

10. An amusement device comprising an upright, a normally egg-shaped structure mounted for vertical movement on said upright between upper and lower positions and having a plurality of sections, hinge means operable to secure said sections together movably, means actuatable to hold releasably the egg-shaped structure at the upper portion of said upright, means operable for releasing said holding means, separating means actuatable to urge apart said sections when the egg-shaped structure is released and has descended along said upright to the lower position, whereby said sections pivot to an open position on said hinge means to give the appearance of a broken egg, means operable for raising said eggshaped structure to the upper portion, and means operable to urge together said sections whereby said sections will move to a closed position.

11. An amusement device comprising a support, an upright secured to said support, a carrying member arranged for vertical movement along said upright between upper and lower positions, an egg-shaped structure mounted on said carrying member, said structure having three sections including a base section and two top sections meeting said base section along a generally horizontal line, said top sections meeting along a generally vertical and central line, separating means operable to move apart said sections comprising a generally vertical channel defined in a section, a pin arranged for reciprocal movement within said channel, a pair of arms each having one end mounted on said pin and the other end secured to each of said top sections whereby said sections will be moved to closed relation when said pin is positioned at the bottom of said channel and will be moved apart by said arms when the pin is raised to the top of said channel, a first abutment member disposed near the base of the support and positioned to push up the said pin within the channel thereby to separate the sections when the egg-shaped structure is near the lower position, a second abutment member disposed near the top of the upright and positioned to push down the said pin within the channel thereby to close the sections when the structure is near the upper position, means'operable for holding the carrying member in the upper position, and release means actuatable for releasing the holding means for the descent of the carrying member by gravity to the lower position. I

14. An amusement device, as claimed in claim 11, 10 2,433,540

together with, a device producing a sound sequence, said a release means being in driven connection with said device and operative to be actuated after a predetermined por-- tion of said sound sequence has been passed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 160,283 Steinhardt Sept. 26, 1950 564,686 Gottschalk July 28, 1896 Wright Dec. 30, 1947 

